This invention relates to a modular wall mounted article display system especially suitable for prefabrication and installation at the site of use with minimum skill and tool requirements while still retaining the overall look and general appearance of a built-in, customized design. An especially important feature of the display equipment is the fact that in the preferred embodiments thereof the components of the same substantially fill the wall area between the floor and an overlying ceiling of the retail area in hiding relationship to at least the major portion of the wall surface so that overall finishing of the latter prior to installation of the article display units is unnecessary. This significantly decreases the finishing costs to an owner or leaseholder of the space in which the display apparatus is installed. The article supports and decorative fronts of the equipment are completely adjustable as desired by the retailer for flexibility of display format without tools of any kind being necessary to make the change.
The display apparatus includes soffit and valance assemblies adapted to be located adjacent the ceiling of the retail space and which serve as supports for illuminating means located to direct light downwardly onto displayed articles therebelow. In one form of the invention, decorative front valance panels are provided across the front of each of the light source areas to hide the same and also present an aesthetically pleasing display area by virtue of the fact that each of the cover panels preferably has a colored face thereon so that by the simple expedient of either reversing the cover panel to bring another color to the front, or by replacing the outermost panel with different colored panels stored therebehind, the decorative effect provided may be changed at will.
Wall mounted shelves of the type which are supported by brackets adjustably mounted on slotted vertical hanger strips have long been used for displaying articles such as merchandise for sale in retail outlets, but these units offer very little aesthetic or structural advantages from a utility standpoint other than adjustability of the shelves and the lower cost thereof in comparison with free standing display cabinets and shelving. Not only was the retailer required to install adjustable shelves of the type which hang from slotted standards on prefinished wall surfaces presenting a decorative appearance, but he was also limited as to the display format which he could use for a particular wall installation. Usually, reliance had to be made entirely on overhead ceiling lights for illuminating the display area. Although retailers who own the property in which they do business have always had to bear the expense of finishing their entire sales area, most lease arrangements entered into today also impose the burden of interior decorating costs on the lessee. This trend has become standard because of the wide variation in interior decor and fixtures for different retail operations. Accordingly, even in the case of leaseholders, they are required not only to pay relatively high square foot lease rates, particularly in advantageous high traffic areas such as new shopping centers, but they also must arrange to finish the interior of their leased space including at least flooring such as carpeting, overhead ceiling structure, wall finishing and all retail fixtures. With increasing labor costs, these overall costs have tended to increase substantially in recent years, particularly if substantial manual labor is involved in finishing the store area. Even after finishing the walls, installing carpets and overhead ceiling units and doing other interior finish work, the retailer was still faced with the alternative of either purchasing very expensive free standing cabinets and shelves for displaying his wares, or decide to rely on slotted standard mounted shelves affixed directly to painted walls or other wall surfaces finished in a manner to impart a pleasing appearance to the display area. Even in the case where free standing shelving was used though, it was still necessary for at least a major portion of the wall surface above the top of the cabinets to be finished, and lighting depended entirely on the availability of overhead illuminating means mounted in the ceiling adjacent thereto.
After spending considerable sums of money for finishing the interior of his retail area, the merchant could retain title only to display equipment which would retain its classification as non-fixtures under the law, otherwise he had to leave such equipment behind if he moved to a different location. This necessitated buying more expensive free standing display units if the retailer was uncertain as to the length of time he might occupy a particular area.
Steadily increasing ownership and leasehold costs have also forced merchants to operate in smaller total space. However, this has been accomplished only at the expense of limitation on customer accessibility to the displayed merchandise, crowded conditions for customer traffic, and decrease in the number and type of articles which could be displayed. For this reason, there has been a demand for prefabricated wall mounted article display units which could be ordered at any one of a number of different effective depths and heights for use under varying location requirements. These needs though have heretofore been met only by custom installations. However, labor and material costs have now increased to levels which have made built-in display equipment virtually prohibitive from a cost standpoint.
It is therefore the primary object of the present invention to provide article display apparatus especially suited for removable mounting on a wall surface in covering relationship thereto and which is supported on the floor but is held against the wall through novel interlocking components that may be quickly and easily installed by relatively inexperienced personnel using hand tools while completely obviating the necessity for the shopkeeper to finish the wall surfaces on which the display apparatus is mounted. Furthermore, the display equipment is not only in modular form but is especially adapted for prefabrication thereof so that display areas of any length may be shelved without custom design and manufacturing of the display structure being required for each installation.
Another important object of the invention is to provide wall mounted display equipment embodying fully adjustable article display supports as well as a vertically shiftable overhead soffit and valance assembly incorporating integral lighting means therein so that the assembly may be positioned adjacent the ceiling regardless of the actual height thereof from the floor while still providing direct illumination on the articles displayed therebelow.
A further important object of the invention is to provide modular wall mounted display apparatus which includes a finished back of relatively inexpensive sheet material which obviates the necessity of the retailer finishing the wall behind the display equipment and significantly lowers the costs of finishing the interior of the display area. In this connection it is an equally important object of the invention to provide one type of display unit incorporating novel valance panels on the front of the soffit and valance assembly above the article display supports and which preferably comprise one or more panels having different colors on opposed faces thereof so that by removably mounting the panels in the normal decorative disposition thereof, the panels may be reversed or replaced as desired with panels of different colors thus permitting the retailer to change the visual effect of his display area at will. This is particularly advantageous for seasonal sales promotions.
As a corollary to the foregoing objects, it is a further important aim of the invention to provide a wall mounted article display system for use in high ceiling areas, or those of somewhat lower height wherein permanent valance panels may be positioned across the front of each of the soffit and valance assemblies in closing relationship thereto using a novel interlocking mechanism which removably holds the panels in fixed disposition and assures tight end to end fit thereof without interfering with proper positioning of the soffit and valance assembly at any desired elevation above the floor. In this manner, the most effective spacing between the top of the display equipment and the overlying ceiling may be achieved depending on the particular conditions of the space in which the units are installed. For example, the provision of cantilever supported assemblies allows the user to install the display equipment at an aesthetically pleasing height relative to the ceiling in the case of unusually high overheads to present a decorative although unobtrusive appearance while still retaining the aforementioned advantages with the sole exception of providing a surface finish on the relatively narrow band of wall between the top of the display apparatus and the ceiling structure.
Another important object of the invention is to provide prefabricated display apparatus for articles of varying types and dimensions wherein the retailer may change the article display supports at will without altering the display equipment and to switch as desired from shelves to bins as may be necessary for a particular product.
Also an important object of the invention is to provide fully adjustable article display apparatus adapted for wall mounting thereof which is prefabricated in modular units wherein the overhead soffit and valance assemblies supporting article illumination means therein are interrupted by panel simulating fin components which break the longitudinal line of the assemblies at strategic locations therealong to enhance the appearance of the display equipment and also provide compensation for any misalignment that may be present between the adjacent colored valance panels across the fronts of the illumination assemblies.
A further important object of the invention is to provide display apparatus as described wherein each of the modular unit slotted standards is provided with an adjustable foot at the lower end thereof so that the relative heights of the standards may be changed as required to assure alignment of the upper ends thereof notwithstanding surface irregularities in the floor.
Also an especially important object of the invention is to provide a modular article display system which uniquely permits utilization thereof without significant change in a wide variety of retail or other article display applications.
Other important objects and features of the present invention will become evident or be explained in detail as the following description progresses.